Chapter 365: 365

A brief silence lingered in the room as all eyes turned toward Emilia.

She sat calmly, but there was something different about her, something that made the others pause. Her face looked refreshed, almost lighter, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Ruth stayed close by her side, tending to her carefully, giving her the space to speak when she was ready.

Emilia let her gaze move across the room before she finally spoke. "I remembered something."

Kael, Ramos, and Ruth leaned in, their attention fully fixed on her.

Emilia turned toward Ruth, her eyes steady. "Did Jess reveal anything?"

Ruth shook her head slowly. "She hasn’t yielded much. But it doesn’t look like she is resisting either. It feels more like her memory has been wiped out, or... she had been made to vow."

"Everytime she tried to say the name,she wasn’t able to."

Kael frowned and leaned forward. "What did you say?"

"Every time she tries to remember, she feels pain in her head," Ruth explained.

"Tsk... That’s troublesome," Ramos muttered as he rubbed his throbbing temples with a grimace.

Emilia let out a long sigh and began to narrate, her voice carrying a faint tremor. "After giving birth to Adele, I started to see things more clearly. I was still sad about the way our marriage turned out, but with a baby to care for, I had no time for those naïve feelings anymore. I had to move forward."

Her hands tightened on her lap as she continued. "As I became busier, I started to see through things and finally embraced my role. But that’s when everything began to change. I started to feel irritated for no reason... and pessimism crept in without warning."

Emilia’s body trembled slightly as she recalled the memories. Ruth reached out and took her hand firmly, grounding her.

"Then I caught Jess... talking to him sometimes."

"Who?" Kael and Ramos asked in unison, their voices tense.

Emilia looked down, her words heavy. "Grant."

Kael’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "Told you. I told you that the bastard was involved."

Emilia nodded faintly, her voice lowering. "I tried to question Jess, but before I could, things turned upside down. After that... all I remember is going insane."

The room grew quiet again, the weight of her words pressing down on everyone.

The story Emilia had shared carried weight, but for Kael it was nothing more than lackluster.

He didn’t see the point in getting emotional about it.As for his memory,Emilia treated hardly and got disgusted seeing Kael, however it didn’t last long as Ruth didn’t let them meet.

And when he was three perhaps four Emilia were taken away to Salvatore..

As for the cruelty and beating,Kael just made it up to gain sympathy from Salvatore while in truth all it was Emilia throwing things.

And for three years old the long passage of time was enough to make him forget.Even the original Kael wasn’t so hung up and as for him,it didn’t matter anything.

As long as these two stay in their place and pass the seat it would be good or else he need to beat the shit out of his old man.

He cleared his throat and leaned back. "So what was the thing that made the two of you react so violently during the match?" Kael pressed.

Ramos let out a long sigh before answering. "It’s about Grant."

Kael’s brows drew together at once. "What about him?"

"After Emilia mentioned him, we got word that Grant has escaped and gone into hiding," Ramos said heavily.

Kael’s face hardened and his eyes snapped toward Ruth, filled with open disgust. It was as if all the blame had landed on him without question.

Ruth frowned at the glare and said sharply, "Stop looking at me like that. He was sent to handle something and disappeared in the middle. I didn’t expect this."

"That’s just an excuse, my dear lord," Kael taunted coldly.

His words came out sharp and unforgiving. "It’s your fault for failing to keep him in check. You couldn’t monitor him, and worse, you couldn’t even judge his character. That bastard tried to kill me more than once, and you still ignored the red flags and trusted him."

"I can’t believe you are stupid."

Ramos gave a nod, his voice grave. "I warned you repeatedly. That man was a wolf waiting to sink his claws into us."

Ruth’s expression twisted. He clenched his fists so hard that thick veins bulged across the back of his hands. His forehead tightened, and his body shook as if he were about to burst.

"Enough."

Emilia’s voice cut through the rising tension like a blade. Kael shut his mouth instantly. Even Ramos stepped back, both of them glancing at her serious face.

"I think we all need to calm down," Emilia said firmly. Her tone carried both authority and weariness. "As far as I know, Ruth is someone who thinks things through carefully. There might be something we don’t know."

She turned to Ruth, her voice softening. "Isn’t that right, Ruth?"

For a moment, Ruth’s eyes widened. His expression softened into a stupor, and something stirred inside him, an ache that seemed to scratch at his heart. His eyes trembled faintly as if touched by her words.

Kael and Ramos exchanged a look, and both of them almost rolled their eyes. They didn’t need to say anything out loud. Their thoughts were written across their faces.

’Is this the age to act like that?’

’If he really cared, he should have acted earlier. Not after everything fell into a mess. Idiot.’

The two men coughed at the same time, breaking the awkward moment between Emilia and Ruth. Kael forced himself to ease the atmosphere. "So what is it, then?" he asked.

Ramos answered instead of Ruth. "It’s complicated. But to put it simply, your grandfather... I mean our father was never able to control his lust for woman.He had a lot of illegitimate children."

"What’s the problem with that?" Kael and Emilia asked at the same time.

"The problem," Ramos said with a grimace, "is that their mothers were either whores or bitches."

"You mean prostitutes?" Kael corrected, frowning.

Ramos shook his head. "No. Don’t confuse the two. Prostitutes at least know their place. They have some manners. But these women..." He spat the words out. "They had none."

Kael smirked faintly. "You speak as if you have a lot of experience."

Silence fell. Then came a loud thump as Ramos smacked him on the head. Kael cursed, rubbing his scalp while Ramos continued.

"Our worthless father had a thing for sluts and women without shame. But his interest never lasted long. He would spend a few nights with them, then toss them aside and move on. Because of this, he left behind many children. Their mothers filled their heads with ambition, telling them they could be Dukes no matter their origin. And soon, all of them were aiming at me and Ruth, the only two born from the legitimate wife."

He paused, his tone bitter. "That led to a bloody war of succession. At one point, Grant even saved Ruth’s life, which was why he became the only illegitimate child we spared."

Ramos clenched his teeth. "But he turned out the same. He knew he couldn’t defeat us directly, so he started pulling tricks in the shadows, scheming against us."

The room fell silent after those words.

Emilia’s eyes softened as she looked at Ruth. Slowly, she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. Her gaze carried pity, warmth, and understanding.

Kael and Ramos blinked at the scene.

’What the hell? Are they seriously being so lovey-dovey out of nowhere?’

The two exchanged another look.

’Yeah. If he cared, he should have acted before, not now.’

Kael, unable to let it go and spoke,"The reason is good, still this is nothing but a petty excuse for failing to keep the man in check soo..."

Kael paused and looked at Ruth with a cold unforgiving gaze.

"You should just retire already and spend the rest of your days in atonement cause I am not a person to forgive you for petty reasons.. Tomorrow or later in future,I will shove you out of your seat and take over the full hegemony of the Veydrins."